Corrupted Priest-Chapter 20

A new authority.

"Aaaaaargh!!!"

The scream of the divine incarnation forced its way deep into my mind and clawed at my emotions without permission.

Blood dripped from my ears.

My sense of balance wavered. A sharp terror gripped me, the kind meant to be felt by a living creature. A reverence I was obliged to offer as an inferior being.

I lost my footing. I coughed as I tumbled to the ground, inhaling nauseating dust and smoke.

"Cough."

A tangled mass of emotions, like filth, engulfed me voraciously. I couldn't get up easily...

'Kill!'

A voice rang out for just a moment. My mind, buried in chaos, snapped back to clarity.

I leapt back to my feet and dashed forward.

"Thank you, Mother. I almost died for good there."

"Aaaaaargh!!!"

That creature, the incarnation, was a living disaster.

Just now, the divinity in its scream almost consumed me. It was bearable at first, but the prolonged exposure while fleeing began to corrode my mind.

Had the Mother of Decay not awakened me, I would have stayed down and been devoured right there.

A corpse I could absorb—I reached out quickly and shouted:

"Mother! I offer this to you!"

As the corpse decayed, another divine energy was released.

[Divinity: 9237]

"Aaaaaargh!!!"

I twisted my shoulder just in time. A blood-red tentacle brushed past my collar and pierced the ground.

"Haaah!"

My froststeel sword reflected the flickering light as it sliced through the tentacle.

"Aagh! Aagh! Aagh! Aagh!"

The divine power in its screams intensified. My counterattack had clearly enraged the incarnation even more. But that was none of my concern.

I pushed the Script of Decay to its limit and raced through the streets of Kelton.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The incarnation's pursuit grew louder. Even amidst this blood-soaked chase, the monster was adapting to its own body—faster, stronger, sharper.

It was becoming a true predator.

Meanwhile, I was already operating at full power from the start. Naturally, the gap between us continued to close.

Gritting my teeth, I stared at my destination.

The Lord's mansion of Kelton. That place—there, I had a far better chance of finding corpses containing more divinity than just rummaging through the streets.

"Aaaaaargh!!!"

I ducked. Two tendrils of blood pierced through where my head had just been. I pushed my muscles to the brink and swung the froststeel sword again. Two chunks of flesh flopped onto the ground.

The momentum from my swing threw me off balance, and I rolled across the ground before springing up like a coiled spring.

The blood-red creature glared at me with a single eye protruding from the cleft in its forehead—brimming with resentful killing intent.

"Aaaaaargh!!!"

It had finally caught up. But I'd saved a card for this very moment.

"Mother! Help me!"

"Graaaaaargh!!!"

The Giant of Decay tore through the air and struck the incarnation with a massive fist.

"Aaaaaargh!!!"

Blood-red tentacles pierced the giant's hand, shredding the massive fist apart.

As expected, the Giant of Decay alone wasn't enough. I turned away without hesitation and sprinted off.

"Don't push yourself! I'll return soon!"

"Graaaaaargh!!!"

The Giant of Decay howled once more and charged at the incarnation again.

This golden moment of distraction was my one chance, and I had to make the most of it.

Slashing through the acrid air, I dashed into the burning lord's mansion. Corpses. I needed corpses. At least those of knights or well-trained elite soldiers.

But the corpses near the entrance were already too far gone to absorb.

If only I'd collected their divinity first... Had I prioritized stopping the cultists too much?

Regret struck me, but I had no time for it. I charged through the flames.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Corpses, already too late to harvest.

'Kill!'

At Mother's call, I turned my head and saw an armored corpse slumped against a wall. One at last.

"Mother!"

The flesh within the armor decayed, releasing divine power. One hundred divinity. About two fingers' worth.

[Divinity: 9337]

From that corpse, more viable ones began to appear in succession. Dismembered, mangled, torn apart—the corpses spoke volumes of how desperate the resistance here had been.

Just revenge. A rightful price. Blood for blood.

This was the only thing I could do for these wronged souls.

[Divinity: 9357]

[Divinity: 9467]

[Divinity: 9488]

[Divinity: 9639]

[Divinity: 9897]

Just a little more. Just a little...

I finally absorbed every viable corpse in the area.

[Divinity: 9991]

But it wasn't enough. Just a bit short. I kept running through the mansion, searching and searching.

The roar of the giant outside had stopped. Something was coming. With a chilling scream.

"Aaaaaargh!!!"

'Kill!!!'

Mother begged me to run. But I clenched my froststeel sword and gritted my teeth.

"Not yet. Not yet, Mother. I just remembered where the most recently dead body would be."

I ran again. The collapsing mansion groaned as wooden beams fell. Acrid smoke. The flames had consumed nearly everything. Scorching heat seared my skin. My brain screamed from the pain of burning flesh.

And finally, I found it. A human worth a single finger. The corpse of Kelton's lord, Stren Flkor, his neck snapped.

Boom!

The incarnation burst through the wall. What had once been nothing more than a lump of flesh now squirmed with a form resembling human muscle.

Had it grown again in that short time?

Its mouth split open, and thick, malicious killing intent burst forth, infused with divinity.

"Aaaaarghhhhhh!"

The lord's corpse lay behind the creature.

The searing divinity of decay soaked into my skin, wringing my muscles with pain.

Just once. I only had to dodge once.

I launched myself into motion. Seven tendrils rushed toward me, aiming to tear me apart. I fired up the Butcher's engine, which I'd kept silent until now to avoid attracting attention.

Vreeeeeeeeng!

The metallic buzzsaw screamed as it spun. Gripping the handle, I swung it upward. One tendril was severed, and the monster let out a guttural howl.

One down.

I forcibly twisted the Butcher's trajectory. My arm muscles, pushed to their limits, tore apart. I slashed again. Two more tendrils were cut down midair.

Four remained.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I could take out three at most with my ability. The rest, I'd have to endure.

Thunk.

One struck my shoulder. The creature stabbed the tendril into the wound I'd barely managed to sear shut, mocking me. The remaining three tendrils pierced into my thigh, waist, and abdomen—avoiding only instantly fatal points.

"Kill!!!"

Mother screamed.

"Ghhk."

Pain I could no longer bear forced a groan from my throat.

The monster grinned. It was toying with me—choosing not to kill me immediately, like a newborn child playing with a bug.

But that arrogance let me reach my goal.

"Mother."

The divine energy from the decaying lord seeped into me.

[Divinity: 10001]

"I offer this divinity. Your son begs you. Grant me new authority."

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

No answer.

[Divinity: 1]

The divinity vanished. And a new authority coursed through my body.

The monster smiled at me with its white teeth bared.

"Does it hurt?"

I smiled gently, grabbed the unsuspecting monster's face, and whispered:

"Let's fall. Together."

The new authority, Pit of Decay, opened its black maw and devoured us both.

And so, we plunged.

Thunk.

The impact of landing without cushion slammed into my spine. I leapt up and stumbled back. Blood poured from the wounds left by its tendrils. I cauterized them with my burning froststeel blade, glaring at the monster.

In the darkness of the pit, it was laughing.

As if asking, "Is this the best you can do?"

"Does it hurt?"

I grinned.

"It does. It really hurts. It's agonizing—enduring the pain of scorched flesh hiding in divine fire, collecting corpses amidst the flames. I want to quit and run away every second. But you know what?"

Vreeeeeeeeng!

The Butcher roared to life again. With barely working hands, I raised it high.

The monster tilted its head mockingly like a child. I gave it a kind smile.

"You're going to hurt more than I ever did. Remember this well, monster."

BOOM!

The rune of decay crawled over my body, forcing limbs that should no longer move to act. My joints creaked, my limbs resisted.

Much slower than before. Still, I charged at it.

"Aaaaarghhh!"

Nine tendrils burst forth. It was still growing.

I clenched my teeth and swung the Butcher. The spinning saw ground down all nine tendrils.

The incarnation's single eye widened in shock. I struck again, severing one of its arms. Then plunged the Butcher into its side.

Vreeeeeeeng!

Flesh and blood splattered across my face.

"Aaaaarghhhh!!!"

I shoved the Butcher deeper with all my might.

"Surprised, aren't you? You must be! Wondering why I can counter your attacks even slower than before? I'll tell you, just this once!"

I laughed wide.

"Do you know what it feels like to rot alive? I'm quite used to it. You? Not so much."

The new authority, Pit of Decay.

Everything inside this pit rots alive. Even I wasn't exempt. But using the rune of decay, I could direct the rot toward non-essential parts of my body.

That's how I closed the gap.

The monster thrashed and tried to push me away. But rotting inside and out, it couldn't overpower me.

"Hurts! Hurts! Hurts! Hurts! STOP!!!"

The monster screamed a new word.

I burst into laughter.

"Two new words in one day! Maybe I should quit being a cleric and become a tutor for monsters! Hahaha!"

I yanked the Butcher free and raised it high.

Vreeeeeeeng!

Its rotting eye filled with terror.

"Stop! Stop! Stoppppp!!!"

I smiled softly.

"No."

GRRRRRRRRRRRUNCH!

The Butcher devoured the monster's throat. The beast born from Kelton's corpse rolled its severed head across the floor.

I reached into the chest of the fallen incarnation, pulling out a bead-like holy relic, smiling.

"Mother. I did it."

"Kill!"

A strange mix of pride and irritation flowed from her.

The dark green divine energy of decay from the relic entered my body—and hers.

The divine light pulsing from Mother's hand shone so brightly it blinded me. Alarmed, I pulled my hand from my robes to check on her.

The weight in my hand was gone.

"Mother?!"

I frantically looked around—then saw her.

A girl with waist-length hair streaked black and dark green. Her delicate features were so ethereally beautiful even the world's greatest sculptor would weep in despair.

She touched her body curiously, then turned to me, her shimmering eyes wide, mouthing something—but no sound came.

Frowning slightly, she strode over and took my hand. A thought flowed into my mind.

"Kill?!"

I steadied my breath at the familiar voice.

"It was you, Mother. But why are you like this? Shouldn't you know?"

Then she tilted her head, pouting as if grumbling in my mind about her current form.

"Can't go back to being a hand?"

"Kill!"

She yelled wait a moment, and in a blink, returned to the familiar hand. I tucked her back inside my robes with a smile.

"Mother, I know you like walking around, but wouldn't it be better to just stay in here?"

"Kill!"

She admitted she couldn't hold that form for long. I was relieved. I wasn't ready to let her go just yet.

"I understand."

I closed my eyes and focused inward.

[Divinity: 10001]

The divine energy from the relic had settled.

Now it was time to awaken yet another new authority.